9 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. ~ Isaiah 9:1
At the time of this writing, they, the Israelites, were still walking in darkness and much gloom hung over the region. Ahaz was king of Judah, and he had led the nation into deep idolatry. He made metal images for the Baals, burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom, and even offered his own son as a burnt sacrifice to Molech. He used sacred vessels from the house of God and cut them into pieces. He shut the doors of the temple so that regular worship ceased in Jerusalem and Judah, and he set up altars on every street corner along with high places in every city in Judah to offer sacrifices to false gods.
So yes, under Ahaz’s rule, Judah was a land of deep darkness and God had brought it into contempt, meaning He gave them over to the Babylonian army because of their idolatry, their unfaithfulness, and their constant straying from the things of God. They suffered much because of their unfaithfulness, and their stiff-neckedness.
But with God, there is always a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Even though the punishment might be severe, the promise is greater than the punishment. He will build back more abundant, will make stronger, and He will increase more prosperous. He is a God of more than enough. So, while the verdict was indeed severe for the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali God’s promise for the future was bright. He would not leave them in darkness, but a glory, His glory was coming. Jesus is that promised glory, the birth of the long awaited Messiah.
Sometimes we feel like we are living in a time of bad news, violence, and gloom. But a brighter day is coming. A time of refreshing is promised for God’s people. Just as Jesus came 2,000 years ago as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, so He will return riding on a cloud, at the sound of the last trump, and the dead in Christ will rise first and those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and there we will be with Him forever, and then there will be no more gloom, forever.
Thank You LORD Jesus for Your great and wonderful promises that we can believe and depend on. We look forward to Your return, even so, come LORD Jesus, amen.